Five Killed In Head-On Collision Between Van And Truck In Assam's Sonitpur

Five men were killed after their Maruti Suzuki Eeco van collided head-on with a truck on National Highway 15 at Balipara in Assam's Sonitpur district late Friday night. The accident occurred around 11.30 pm when the Eeco, travelling from Tezpur towards Rangapara, collided with the truck coming from the opposite direction, police said.

Police said the Eeco driver may have lost control of the vehicle before it crossed into the opposite lane. Investigators are also looking into whether excessive speed was a factor.

The deceased have been identified as Har Gobinda Hajuwari, Pranjal Bania, Sanjay Mech, Pappu Bora and Nayan Swargiary. All five were residents of Batabari under Rangapara police station.

Two of the men died at the spot, while three others succumbed to their injuries after being taken to a nearby government hospital.

The truck driver was missing from the scene after the crash and police have launched efforts to trace him.

Both vehicles have been seized and the bodies sent for postmortem examination. The truck, bearing registration number AR04A2696, and the Eeco, registered as AS12AP6300, were involved in the crash.

Police also recovered several bottles of alcohol from the Eeco and are examining the circumstances leading up to the collision.